Say Yes to Destress

Though she's experienced anxiety and panic attacks since childhood, Beth Behrs never feels nervous on stage. In fact, the connections she feels with her costars and audience make her totally joyful, she says.

"The only other thing that makes me feel that way is being with horses," says Behrs, who stars as Gemma Johnson on the CBS comedy The Neighborhood. It was while working on her previous CBS series, 2 Broke Girls, that she discovered equine therapy; her character, Caroline Channing, owned a horse named Chestnut.

Over the years, Behrs has used stress-reducing practices like meditation, but the fame that came with 2 Broke Girls brought pressure, she says, and heightened anxiety. After two weeks of equine therapy, her anxiety dropped. Why is the therapy effective? Horses remain vigilant to sense danger from predators, she explains, and riders must stay calm as well so that the animals feel confidence in who's astride them.

"In this business, you're trying to fit in on the red carpet, or with what others want you to be," she says. "Equine therapy brings you back into your body and shores up the authenticity of who you really are."

Authentic stories about racial differences drew her to The Neighborhood, says Behrs, who was eager to join a show that strives for social impact.

A deep friendship with costar Tichina Arnold, who plays neighbor Tina Butler, has resulted in an everyday dialogue about racial and cultural differences, Behrs reports. "We're having the same conversations offscreen as we have onscreen," she says. "The Neighborhood tackles issues that are polarizing, but in a way that brings people together through laughter, rather than being preachy. Being able to learn from each other and laugh together is amazing."

After last year's murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer, conversations on the set became personal as cast members shared stories about bigotry they've faced. "Being able to come together, cry and feel like we have to make things better created a real sense of hope," Behrs says.

An active philanthropist, the actress supports animal rights through the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and various horse rescue programs. She also supports The Rape Foundation, which earned her a Television Industry Advocacy Award in 2015.

Off the set of The Neighborhood — which will return for season four in the fall — Behrs's happiest moments come astride her rescue, Belle. "Horses have made me a better actress," she says, "and Belle's my greatest teacher."

Catch-up viewing of The Neighborhood is available on Paramount+.

This article originally appeared in emmy magazine, Issue No. 6, 2021